Respirators ???

[Kory 14]

How many of you use some form of a respirator? When do you use it? Do you use it with only certian chemicals? What brand & style do you prefer and where did you buy it from?

[PLD 14]

I use a cartridge respirator from Lowes. About $30-35. I voted sometimes because I do make an concerted effort to use it, but that does not always happen.

As for "only with bleach": Bleach may burn more, but it's probably one of the less carcinogenic compounds we use. Bleach is actually used by doctors to treat flesh eating virus inside the body cavity. Butyls, oxalic, VOC's, etc are all nasty little buggers. Don't be fooled by chemicals that do not hurt when you get them on you, inhaled over long perods of time that can cause very serious medical problems.

[Anthony G 14]

Just remember that the life span is not very long on the cartridges and that there are multiple kinds of them.

I work in chemical factory and during training we are reminded to discard any cartridge that we use 8 hours after it is removed from the packaging except dust cartridges. Most of them will absord moisture out of the air and become no good or clogged up even if you open them, use 10 minutes and put up. Please remember that they can be your best protection or your last and do your inhalation and exhalation test every time that you use it.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Thank you Anthony! That's great info to know.

Beth

[Anthony G 14]

No problem Beth. Just figured that I would pass it on.

Also remember that certain chemicals will irritate the eyes and watch for absorption through the skin.

We have one chem on site that looks like water, smells like water, but is lethal. The main problem is that when mixed with water to wash off it creates sulfuric acid.

[mas3372 14]

I try to wear a mask every job. Only being 26 years old with 2 daughters I try to be safe. No to mention that my full time job is a fire fighter so my lungs take a beating there regardless. Every little bit of safety helps. I use the disposable masks for healthcare workers. I buy them as a medical supply store. A bit more money than the cheap home depot ones but much better. They block dust as well as moisture which is important with the chems. A box of 50 costs about $35 but one mask will last a half day to a day.

The bleach although it is not a carcigen, gives me a bad head ache if I don't wear a mask. And even though something may not be carciogenic, who knows what else it can cause that we don't even know about yet. Case and point, HIV was around 10 years before it was discovered. Scary!!!

I try to remember to wear a hat and goggles as well but are not that successfull. You eyes and skin can absorb so much..

One of the most important peices of PPE that I am faithful in remember is sun block. The sun is a carcigen and who wants skin cancer when it can be so easily avoided.

Long story short, if you want to see your kids graduate and not walk around at 55 with those huge black sunglasses and carrying an Oxgen tank, protect yourself.

[Mike Williamson 198]

I use a cartridge respirator from Lowes. About $30-35. I voted sometimes because I do make an concerted effort to use it, but that does not always happen.

As for "only with bleach": Bleach may burn more, but it's probably one of the less carcinogenic compounds we use. Bleach is actually used by doctors to treat flesh eating virus inside the body cavity. Butyls, oxalic, VOC's, etc are all nasty little buggers. Don't be fooled by chemicals that do not hurt when you get them on you, inhaled over long perods of time that can cause very serious medical problems.

Bleach may not be carcinogenic to any great degree, but breathing the fumes and/or evaporated vapors isn't good either. I know I've climbed off roofs after 30 minutes of spraying pool chlorine on hot shingles and had a horribly sore throat and feeling like I had a chest cold. I believe that's what pushed me over the edge last month with the pneumonia episode (spent 5 days in the hospital). I'd just finished an hour-long roof cleaning on a very hot day, and I breathed in a good amount of evaporated chlorine.

That's one reason I went with the roller pump...I can spray further away from me, in greater volume, and am back off the roof in 10-15 minutes, rather than 30-40 minutes.

[mas3372 14]

Another note on chlorine, it is a bronchoconstricter, which means when inhaled it constricts your airway. Pretty much causes a severe asthma attack wether you have asthma or not. It will close your airway so much that you won't even be able to tell 911 whats wrong or where you are.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Rod once suffered a real bad burn to his respiratory system from bleach, from washing a house. Wind kicked the mixture back down into his face when he was not expecting it. He had a fever and severe respiratory infection from it.

Respirators matter.

It really does happen.

Beth

[PressurePros 249]

The other day while smoking a cigarette I thought to myself, I should wear a respirator more often.. those bleach fumes'll kill ya. Just kidding. Kinda. I voted 'sometimes' because I always start out wearing one then it goes up to talk to a homeowner, to politely request an employee to return to work, etc. I invariably leave it off just too quickly spray that one last spot that needs more and WHAM... wind kicks right back at you.

[Dan Stapleton 14]

At least you don't have a high concentration comin at ya anymore

[Barry M 73]

I started wearing one while doing roofs, 6% on a hot day is just too strong of smell. Other than that it's just hard for me too put one on all the time, most chems don't seem too bad compared to what I used to put into my body.

[SLHC 14]

Good question here.I was just wondering about the same thing here.

Myself i only used to wear a respirator when spraying roofs with straight bleach or oil based stains.That's when you really have to wear one.I would not get on the roof without one.

Now i have gotton into a habbit of wearing one when cleaning homes too.I get enaugh fumes on my way home from smelling my clothes .

My question is who wears gloves when using bleach??

I never do,never have.I know this is crazy but my urine sometimes smells like bleach.I think it gets absorbed through my skin.

Can anyone comment on this,it just doesn't seem to be good for my health to be soaked in bleach all day

[JFife 14]

LOL, can't help you with that one Guntars, but would make for a good excuse if your wife ever catches you urinating into the washing machine:)

[Mike Williamson 198]

Good question here.I was just wondering about the same thing here.

Myself i only used to wear a respirator when spraying roofs with straight bleach or oil based stains.That's when you really have to wear one.I would not get on the roof without one.

Now i have gotton into a habbit of wearing one when cleaning homes too.I get enaugh fumes on my way home from smelling my clothes .

My question is who wears gloves when using bleach??

I never do,never have.I know this is crazy but my urine sometimes smells like bleach.I think it gets absorbed through my skin.

Can anyone comment on this,it just doesn't seem to be good for my health to be soaked in bleach all day

I used to have the problem of my hands smelling like chlorine for days, my clothes smelling strongly of chlorine, etc. That's when I used the Xjet, and before I set everything up on a tank system. Now the only chlorine I come into contact with is from what sprays back from the house when I downstream, and from the hose when I'm doing roofs. I don't stink like chlorine nearly as much, and I don't notice my hands smelling for days afterwards.

When I was working with the stupid 2.5 gallon jugs from the pool store, I was a lot more sloppy. I love my tanks!

[squirtgun 122]

Who else could drink a river dry after handling chlorine?...cough,cough,cough....yeah I have burned my lungs a few times because I thought it was just to hot to wear the respirator...cough,cough,cough.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

My question is who wears gloves when using bleach??

We do. We wear gloves when handling any chemical. We use nitrile gloves. We get them by the case. If you buy there please tell them See Dirt Run! Inc. sent you. Best deal we have found yet for nitrile gloves. Fast shippers, fair prices.

Beth

[Roger Oakley 14]

We do. We wear gloves when handling any chemical.

Same here, I wear, Nitrile Gloves, Respirator, Safety Glasses, and water proof clothing, when working with Chems, maybe over the top, but I intend to be around for a long while yet, :D

Roger

[Russ Spence 76]

i feel like an imperial storm trooper on the roof with mine on

[Chappy 138]

I felt like I hadnt had the respirator on after my last roof clean. I hadnt thought the cartridges wore out so quickly. Gloves always, but some times they get taken off to do something and dont go on right away. I hate that bleached hand feeling.

[Thomas 14]

LOL I feel like a storm trooper also.

I wear an old big floppy hat with shades and my resperator. Latex gloves if i remember to get em.

[Russ Spence 76]

i guess we are on the dark side of the force

[andrew hartigan 14]

I bought one of the replaceable cartridge masks from pressure wash store and seems like it works ok. Was pretty cheap so i didnt expect much. However I feel a strong desire to buy a really nice mask that filters out everything to go along with my rain suit, gloves, and boots. Might get some weird looks here in florida but nothing is worse then getting chem soaked clothes , smelling like an indoor pool all the time, getting chem burns, and worst of all is inhaling chems. any advice on which models filter the best and where to get them??

Remember everyone:

Keep cleaning, no pressure.

[Jim Carroll 14]

I started wearing one while doing roofs, 6% on a hot day is just too strong of smell. Other than that it's just hard for me too put one on all the time, most chems don't seem too bad compared to what I used to put into my body.

what you used to put in your body probably made you feel better, right.

[Russ Spence 76]

hummmmmmmm..........im scared to ask